Austra – Hurt Me Now

Exclusive: A disarming psychedelic trip in the Toronto band's new video, directed by M. Blash

Austra’s pairing with M. Blash, director of indie movies Lying and The Wait (both starring Chloë Sevigny) well as videos for The Drums and Owen Pallett, worked a charm on their subtly unsettling breakout video for "Lose It" (2011). So it makes perfect sense that they’d collaborate on “Hurt Me Now”, which sees the Toronto group fuse severe organs and imploring vocals to soundtrack a spooked dancehall. When there enter four models wearing broad smiles under ‘S.O.S.’ placards, we jerk into a Lynchian realm – signified not least by a neon-green spirit monster who commits an unspeakable act of self-mutilation. Amid the macabre mayhem is singer Katie Stelmanis, who says of the video, “Working with M. Blash is a rare experience. I like to give him a song and let him do whatever he wants, ’cause when his mindflow is undisturbed, the results are psychedelic and matchless”. Psychedelic and matchless? Sure. But the mindflow? It’s disturbed as all hell.